Top 10 moments from 2008 – 2010
Written by AlphaZealot
10. Ken gets 2nd at EVO (2008)
Ken for a long period dominated Melee, but was virtuously non-existent when Brawl was released. That was until EVO 2008 was announced, with items, and Ken decided to return just for that one event. He won EVO 2007, so as the defending champion it made sense that he would enter. We later found out his long hiatus prior to the event was due to him being a Survivor contestant, where he placed 5th. Ken managed to get 2nd place at EVO2k8, losing to CPU in the Grand Finals. If EVO served any real purpose, it was showing that Ken could compete in any ruleset, and that old debates can still haunt the Smash community.
EVO 2k8 Grand Finals - Ken versus CPU
Ken Survivor Profile
9. The MK Ban Debate (2008-20??)
Though at first many pinned Snake as the best character in the game, by the end of the summer of 2008 there would be a large movement in the community to ban Meta Knight. Over time this movement would manage to have many votes take place, and several times the majority believed Meta Knight should be banned. The debate has often been heated, and some still continue it today. Ultimately to curb Meta Knights effectiveness tournaments began implementing special rules for the character-edge grab limits, banned moves, and limited stage lists.
8. Brawl tournaments finish on time (2010)
Brawl nationals struggled to finish on time for more than a year after the release of the game. It seemed that nobody could figure out how to handle the situation. COT4 ran overtime and had to be finished at a different location. Then, Genesis, even with seasoned TO's running it, ran late and had to be finished back at the hotel. Finally in 2010 tournaments started to get it right. Pound 4 in January 2004 finished on time. Then both MLG events finished on time. Then Apex 2010 finished. TO's had finally adapted to running Brawl events.
7. Stats Galore (2007-2010)
Stat keeping in Melee was minimal at best. However, since Brawl's release the community has stepped up its statistics lists. Ankoku began his statistics on character placement in 2008, and to date has cataloged over 1,000 tournaments. Rajam starting his player ranking list, which requires brackets and pool results from tournaments for an accurate ranking system that includes every entrant at a tournament in its rankings. To date it has cataloged 372 tournaments and 4,023 unique entrants. On the Melee side of things Juggleguy released Melee in 2009: year in review (coming 2 years after I wrote the 2007 year in review). Finally in 2010 Macman started a character rankings list for Melee. Combined with the tournament tracking on AllisBrawl and the Smash community has transformed into the best data-tracking competitive community out there.
Official SWF Brawl Rankings
Brawl Character Rankings List
Melee in 2009: Year in review
Smash in 2007: Year in review
Melee Character Rankings List
6. Nick Riddle beats Ally at MLG Columbus (2010)
Going into MLG Columbus Ally and Mew2King were the clear favorites to place 1st and 2nd. Nick Riddle? Most gave him the benefit of the doubt that he could place in the top 16 again like he did at MLG Orlando. Of course, that was until Nick Riddle redefined how Zero Suit Samus is played. He not only beat Tyrant, the best west coast player, but then beat Ally, the 2nd best player in North America—back to back. It was scary the combo’s and reads he was pulling off.
MLG Columbus 2010 Game 1 - Nick Riddle versus Ally
5. ADHD wins Pound 4 (2010)
When Brawl was released Diddy was seen as a gimmicky, weak character. He was unpopular, most didn’t like to use him, and those that did constantly complained about how hard it was to use him. Ninja Link put Diddy in the spotlight with some new techs, then ADHD refined the characters play. Diddy from Brawl’s released leading up to the spring of 2010 went from the 21st most successful character to the 5th most successful character in the game. The dramatic improvement in the character of course leads to hope for many other character mains out there that chose not to flock to the top tiers early on.
Pound 4 Grand Finals Game 4 - Mew2King versus ADHD
4. Ally and Lain beat Mew2King at Apex (2009)
Mew2King barely ever lost when Brawl was released. In fact, he lost so infrequently that I can’t even think of a tournament he dropped between the summer of 2008 and the summer of 2009 (he did drop a set here and there). No one could match him, and he became the Ken of Brawl very quickly. That was, at least, until Apex 2009. Before the tournament started people believed that the Ice Climbers were an easy-to-counter character. That the Ice Climbers that existed had already pushed the character to its limits. Then Lain showed up and proved all the doubters wrong, becoming the first and only Ice Climber to beat Mew2King in the Brawl era. His play re-sparked the always present Ice Climber infinite debate, available in both Melee and Brawl communities. It wasn’t over yet though. Ally, who had done well earlier at COT4 but was ultimately crushed by Mew2King in the finals, came from Canada and stunned the Apex audience. His ability to survive to extreme percentages defined his play and he became the only force in the country to routinely give Mew2King fits (including a victory at Genesis just a few months later).
Apex 2009 Grand Finals - Ally versus Mew2King
3. MLG picks up Brawl (2010)
In early 2010 MLG announced it would be picking up Brawl for their Professional Circuit. This announcement came a year and a half after they acquired Smashboards from the previous owner Gideon. The pick up returned Smash to the MLG line up almost 4 years after it was dropped from the Pro Circuit after the 2006 season. The 2010 Pro Circuit will distribute over $70,000 to the winners of events with the final Event in Dallas offering the largest 1st prize ever for a Brawl tournament: $12,500.
2. Armada takes 2nd at Genesis (2009)
Melee had a very down year in 2008, as Brawl became incredibly popular and much of the scene gave the game a shot for many months. Slowly those who didn’t like the new game returned to Melee, but the community was not the same. Previous power house areas with tournaments every single weekend, like MD/VA, became desolate—now there are tournaments maybe once a month or two. However, all was not lost, as DBR announced Genesis for the summer of 2009. Suddenly the tournament became the go-to event for Melee players. The event became the largest Melee tournament to that date, with 292 entrants (just 3 less than Brawls 295). However, the story wasn’t so much how large the event was, but who was playing in the finals. Up to this point Americans had no reason to believe any other place in the world could compete with them. Armada changed everything. There was never a Peach in the US that played like Armada did. He had among the most exciting finals I have ever witnessed at a Smash event, and though he ultimately lost to Mango, he showed that Europe could compete. Armada would return for Pound 4, the largest Melee event in history with over 340 entrants, and would also show at Apex (220 entrants).
Amazing Armada Stitch Face Combo
1. Brood takes 2nd at Apex (2010)
Mew2King was heavily favored to win Apex 2010. Coming into the tournament he hadn't lost since January of 2010. Over 5 months, 20+ underground tournaments wins, and 2 MLG victories, he seemed almost invincable. On the other side of things people saw the Japanese and wondered how they would stack up. Most considered them contenders, but no one would be able to compete with Mew2King. It turned out no one saw Brood coming. Brood did at Apex what Armada did at Genesis by beating Ally and Mew2King at the same tournament. Brood proved that the international scenes can be just as strong as the American scene. He also showed America that it doesn't know what it's doing with Olimar. The finals for Apex would eventually get 2,000 viewers for the stream, the largest stream for a Smash tournament to date. While DEHF ultimately won the final showdown, the Japanese proved they could compete with Brood taking 2nd Place and Rain making Top 8.
Apex 2010 Losers Finals Game 5 - Brood Versus Mew2King
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